The term "Western RPG" (WRPG for short; sometimes also referred to as Computer [=RPGs=] or [=CRPGs=], due to their historical preference for PC platforms instead of consoles) can be used in two different ways:

A RolePlayingGame developed in the Western world, specifically North America and Europe.

Or a Role Playing Game following a style popularized by Western computer developers, which is sometimes differentiated from {{Eastern RPG}}s by having several or more of the following features:

* Usually made in North America or Europe. However, there also have been Japanese examples, most of them influenced by the [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff local popularity]] of ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' and ''VideoGame/DungeonMaster''.* Often released on the PC instead of consoles (though recently they have been on both).* Aimed to satisfy the player's need for self-expression and fantasy fulfillment by allowing them to become something that they can never be in real life.* The game rules resemble (and are often licensed from) {{Tabletop RPG}}s such as ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.* Often has a WideOpenSandbox game experience, but can be a DungeonCrawler, or in recent years, a plot-based game focused on the CharacterDevelopment of both the customized PC and the [=NPCs=].* The main hero is generally [[CharacterCustomization customizable]], and is more of a [[FeaturelessProtagonist "blank slate"]] than a predetermined character.* In some games, encounters can be resolved (at least, [[UselessUsefulNonCombatAbilities in theory]]) without combat, through [[CombatDiplomacyStealth diplomacy or stealth]].* TurnBasedCombat was the dominant combat form in the past, but has been steadily losing ground to [[ActionRPG action-based real time]]. RealTimeWithPause is the genre's popular middle ground.* The art style tends to be more "{{real|IsBrown}}istic" than in Eastern [=RPGs=].* Usually enemies are fought on screen rather than cutting to a separate "battle screen", though the latter was not uncommon in early Western [=RPGs=]. [[CommonTacticalGameplayElements Terrain and party formations]] often play an important role in combat.* Background UsefulNotes/{{dice}} rolls are often visible, and stats are directly shown as they interact with the rules. In recent years, however, many of the more action-oriented Western [=RPGs=] have been moving away from this.* Often features [[LoadsAndLoadsOfSidequests numerous]] [[{{Sidequest}} optional quests]]. These are usually recorded in a "quest log" or a similar system to keep track of them.

Computer RPG is a flexible format, having gone through several dominant design paradigms since its nascence [[TheEighties around 1980]]. The [[UrExample earliest examples]] (''VideoGame/TempleOfApshai'', ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'') were inspired by ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and are best described as "{{dungeon crawl|ing}}ers": as the player, you were supposed to get through a dungeon, killing monsters and looting treasure--in essence, a more forgiving version of the {{Roguelike}}s (which had been codified around the same time).

For a while, [=RPGs=] in the West remained [[RPGsEqualCombat all about]] TurnBasedCombat, but something extraordinary happened in 1985: Richard Garriot's Origin Systems released ''VideoGame/UltimaIV'', which codified the "[[WideOpenSandbox sandbox RPG]]" subgenre, where you could go wherever you wanted and do whatever you pleased. For the longest time, ''Wizardry'' and ''Ultima'' were the pioneers of Western RPG tradition, with ''Wizardry'' codifying such things as a PlayerParty of [[NonPlayerCompanion pregenerated NPCs]] and KarmaMeter, while ''Ultima'' codified things like interactive dialogue (via a TextParser) and NPCScheduling. ''Ultima'' even gave birth to the ImmersiveSim [[note]]with the ''VideoGame/UltimaUnderworld'' SpinOff[[/note]] and the {{MMORPG}} genres[[note]]''VideoGame/UltimaOnline'' had not invented the genre, but it was its first commercial success[[/note]]. Although the ''Ultima'' series reached its [[VideoGame/UltimaVII high point]], [[VideoGame/UltimaVIII withered]], and [[VideoGame/UltimaIX died]] by 1999, it saw a successor to its traditions in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, which climbed to the heights of commercial and critical success in the following decade. Western {{Action RPG}} titles influenced by Eastern titles such as ''TheLegendOfZelda'' began appearing in the late 1980s, notably ''VideoGame/TimesOfLore'', influencing ''VideoGame/UltimaVI'' which adopted its fully-scaled WideOpenSandbox world design (abandoning an OverworldNotToScale) and PointAndClickGame interface.

But in the [[TheNineties mid-90ies]], things were looking very grim for Western [=RPGs=]. ''Ultima'' was not the only reputed series that didn't [[VideoGame3DLeap make it to the 3D]]: ''Wizardry'', ''[[VideoGame/TheBardsTaleTrilogy The Bard's Tale]]'', ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'', the VideoGame/GoldBox, ''VideoGame/TheMagicCandle'', ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'', ''VideoGame/EyeOfTheBeholder'', ''VideoGame/LandsOfLore''... [[EverybodysDeadDave they were all dead or dying]] by the end of the decade. From the ashes of the old Western RPG tradition, two phoenixes rose around 1997. One was ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'', a perky little dungeon crawler that captivated the masses with simple, action-oriented gameplay (instead of traditional turn-based) and a consistent and moody {{Gothic|Horror}} atmosphere. The other was ''VideoGame/{{Fallout|1}}'', a game that profoundly changed the Western understanding of role-playing video games by focusing on a single PC's story (rather than a [[PlayerParty party]]) and on the choices the players must make, from [[CharacterCustomization building their character]] to [[StoryBranching story-shaping decisions]] to figuring out [[CombatDiplomacyStealth their path to victory]].

On the shoulders of these giants, the third and, so far, the youngest subgenre of Western RPG arose: the "narrative RPG". Although its [[UrExample earliest specimen]]--''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'' and, unsurprisingly, the ''Ultima'' games from ''VideoGame/UltimaVIIPartII'' onwards--emerged at the dusk of the Golden Age (1993), the subgenre wasn't codified until ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' and ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' towards the end of the decade. These games put a greater emphasis on intricate plots and interesting characters and [[GenreTurningPoint hit gold]]. As the [[UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames sixth generation]] approached, this allowed the Western [=RPGs=] to go on an offensive and plant boots on the console ground with ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' (a sandbox RPG) and ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' (a narrative RPG).

The jump to full 3D and MultiPlatform brought with it new sensibilities, however. Some Western-developed games (''VideoGame/SepterraCore'', ''VideoGame/{{Anachronox}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Summoner}}'', ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles'', etc.) deliberately went for the console RPG feel. Other developers embraced real-time combat and [[UsefulNotes/GeneralGamingGamepads Game Pad]] controls and started streamlining traditional RPG mechanics and pitching their games as "{{Action RPG}}s"--a term that has never been particularly well-defined in the West, but one that now posed the critical question: just when does an "ARPG" stop being an RPG and become an ActionGame? At the same time, RPGElements started to bleed into other genres (shooters, strategy games, {{MOBA}}s, sandboxes, etc.), and by TheNewTens, Western RPG was suffering from a severe identity crisis that could be summed up in one sentence as "It's an RPG if the publisher says it is."

Perhaps as a response to this, the genre has experienced a renaissance of sorts in TheNewTens. The rise of crowdfunding (and Website/{{Kickstarter}} in particular) and affordable game tech (like UsefulNotes/{{Unity}}) has allowed some veteran developers to go back and reevaluate the gameplay and story ideas that were on the table during the Golden (pre-1995) and Silver Ages (late 90ies to early 2000s) but have been swept under the rug as Western [=RPGs=] went down the triple-A road. For more details on the Western RPG renaissance phenomenon, see [[Analysis/WesternRPG the Analysis tab]]. On the triple-A side of the industry, the narrative RPG subgenre was, for a long time, defined by the [[DuelingGames rivalry]] between Creator/BioWare's flagship franchises, ''Franchise/MassEffect'' and ''Franchise/DragonAge'', and Creator/CDProjektRED's ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' games[[note]]although with CPR finishing ''The Witcher'' story arc and [=BioWare=] switching its full attention to the non-RPG ''Anthem'', the narrative subgenre has been dormant in the AAA space for some time[[/note]]. The sandbox RPG niche is dominated by Creator/{{Bethesda}}'s massive ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' franchises. Pure dungeon crawlers have largely gone out of favor with the big publishers, but Creator/{{Blizzard|Entertainment}} has made a resurgence with ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'', and ''Diablo'' clones like the ''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'' series still bring in the cash.

See also our guide on how to SoYouWantTo/WriteAWesternRPG.----!!Examples of this genre: